A woman in India was arrested over the weekend for arranging the murder of her estranged transgender spouse.
The woman, identified a 30-year-old Veda Shree, was arrested on Saturday along with two men she hired to kill her 35-year-old spouse, Roja, a transgender woman.
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The couple reportedly married in 2014, before Roja came out as trans, and had a child in 2015. They separated after Roja underwent gender confirmation surgery in 2019.
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According to reports, Veda endured constant harassment from Roja, who would show up at the school where Veda was employed and create a “nuisance.” The school eventually fired her.
Following her termination, Veda reportedly paid two men to murder Roja. According to The New India Express, Veda had been living with one of the men at the time.
On December 11, the two men allegedly offered Roja beer and later smothered her with pillows after she fell asleep. Police registered Roja’s death as suspicious and later arrested Veda and the two hired killers. Veda confessed to her involvement in the murder.